Announcing New Dean in the College of Social Sciences
Sent: April 5, 2023
From: Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dear Campus Community,
I am very excited to announce that after a national search Dr. Anne Marie Todd has
agreed to take up the post of Dean of the College of Social Sciences. She will begin
her new position effective July 1, 2023. As many of you know, Dr. Todd currently serves
as Associate Dean in the College of Social Sciences. She will continue in that role
for the next several months as Dr. Heather Lattimer continues her interim role as
dean. This transition period will allow time to search for other leadership in the
college - in particular a new Associate Dean for Academics - to take Dr. Todd鈥檚 current
role when she steps into this new position.
I am very excited to partner with Dr. Todd in her new role. Dr. Todd has already proven
herself to be more than a college leader; she is a campus leader as well. She currently
provides oversight of the college鈥檚 enrollment strategies as well as its student success
efforts. She is deeply committed to our campus goal to close equity gaps for our students.
She has played a leading role in our division, as a thoughtful partner with colleagues
in other colleges as well as in the Office of the Provost. Dr. Todd has also developed
a deep level of experience in the areas of faculty development, curriculum and assessment,
advising, and strategic enrollment management. These experiences will serve her well
as we continue to evolve our campus enrollment strategy over the next several years.
Prior to joining the Dean鈥檚 Office, she served as Department Chair of Communication
Studies from 2019-2021. She has also been chair of the University Sustainability Board,
co-chair of the Campus Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and has served
on 91猎奇鈥檚 Strategic Planning Taskforce for Transformation 2030 and WASC Steering Committees.
Dr. Todd joined the Department of Communication Studies at 91猎奇 as an Assistant Professor
in 2002. She has developed and taught more than 20 different courses at 91猎奇 including
an interdisciplinary course on Climate Action and Leadership, one of the first of
its kind in the nation, which has been taught continuously since 2007. She received
the College of Social Sciences鈥� Teaching Excellence Award and 91猎奇鈥檚 Outstanding Professor
Award.
Anne Marie's scholarship explores a wide range of environmental discourse and public
advocacy and has won multiple awards. Her most recent book, Valley of Heart's Delight: Environment and Sense of Place in the Santa Clara Valley, published by the University of California Press, is an agricultural history of Silicon
Valley. She is a founding member of the International Environmental Communication
Association. Anne Marie received her Ph.D. and M.A. in Rhetoric and Cultural Studies
from the University of Southern California鈥檚 Annenberg School for Communication and
her B.A. in Philosophy from Emory University.
I also want to acknowledge the outstanding leadership that Dr. Lattimer has provided
for the College of Social Sciences since last summer. Dr. Lattimer has done more than
鈥渟tep in,鈥� she has helped guide the college over the last several months, bringing
much needed stability during a time of transition. I am thankful to have such an amazing
partner on campus, someone who not only can step into such situations but she also
knows how to bring people together and develop a shared sense of purpose, even while
managing an 鈥渋nterim鈥� appointment.
I would be remiss if I didn鈥檛 thank the search committee members, and their chair
Dr. Travis D. Boyce, for their amazing work vetting the candidates for this role.
They did an incredible job, providing thoughtful counsel to me in the process.
I am very excited for the future of the College of Social Sciences and look forward
to working closely with Dr. Todd in her new role. In the meantime, please provide
her the space she needs to continue her work as associate dean for academics over
the next several months. She will be the dean soon enough :)
Sincerely,
Vin
